June 2021 Prayer Letter

 Dear Friends and Family,

We hope that this letter finds each of you doing well. Last month was a challenging month for us. Costa Rica has been hit very hard in another wave of the covid pandemic. For nearly all of the month, Costa Rica has been either 5th or 6th in all of the world for most new cases per million. After the previous lockdown, we went to increased restrictions for the month. We are only able to drive every other day. This makes it much more difficult to get everything done. Thankfully, we were able to continue holding meetings in person on Sundays, though the attendance has been affected. We have seen a slight increase in attendance on our Tuesday night Bible studies on zoom. Due to the previous lockdown, our last Baptism service had to be canceled, but thankfully, we were able to do it on another day. Three people followed the Lord in believer's baptism, including our daughter Ellowyn. Near the end of the month, Michelle held a special ladies meeting which was a blessing. This upcoming month, we are planning to do a baby dedication and a men's meeting.

Another part of the restrictions for May and June is that the ministry of education has completely canceled classes for all public schools. Private schools are not canceled, but have also been forced to go virtual. We have had to convert our bedrooms into small work spaces for the kids to do their studies. On some days we are working in 4 different places of the house all at the same time all while taking care of Elijah. As difficult as this is, we are thankful that they can continue to have classes virtually. Family life has been difficult as even all of the parks outside are now closed. We have tried to continue taking the kids outside and find ways for them to get exercise and stay healthy. We are considering the possibility of doing an evangelistic children's outreach, but we are still very limited by the number of people who are serving in the church plant.

There was a special blessing last month that came in the form of an unexpected offering towards our land and building fund. It is always amazing how God works in unexpected ways. This month, please pray:

1. That God will help those who are sick and help us to share the Gospel with them.

2. That God will continue to provide the funds needed for the church to get it's own meeting location.

3. That God will help clear some of the red tape that has hindered us in the church plant.

4. That God will continue to open hearts and save souls here in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jeremy, Michelle, Lila, Ellowyn, and Elijah Blanz